


Something beautiful (something annihilating)

by Lizicia



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark!Skyeward, Destruction, F/M, also a bit of romance, but a lot of heavy feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-02
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-03-10 02:36:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3273578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizicia/pseuds/Lizicia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'The thing is, when S.H.I.E.L.D. catches Skye in her van, broadcasting for everyone, she hasn't really slipped up and gotten caught. No government agency could catch her without her wanting to. Truthfully, it is ridiculously easy to get offered a seat aboard the Bus.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something beautiful (something annihilating)

**Author's Note:**

> Double-posted on Tumblr.  
> Title from Sylvia Plath.

The thing is, when S.H.I.E.L.D. catches Skye in her van, broadcasting for everyone, she hasn't really slipped up and gotten caught. No government agency could catch her without her wanting to.

But it's not like she can walk into Triskelion and announce herself; no, she needs access and she needs them to provide it for her.

So when the government toolbag with the ridiculous jawline pulls a black bag over her head, she puts up a respectable fight and when they interrogate her, is the perfect amount of derisive and arrogant to make them believe how much she doesn't want to be there.

Truthfully, it is ridiculously easy to get offered a seat aboard the Bus.

She wonders why she didn't do it sooner.

The team is entertaining in their own right, just like she was expecting them to be – Coulson with his fatherly advice and ability to strategize in the deadliest of situations; May with her stony silences; and Fitz and Simmons with their adorable combination of scientist and quirkiness.

And then there is the specialist. Grant Ward. She doesn't quite understand him because he can't be all that serious and stoic and boring; she can sense something more interesting underneath, something that intrigues her but for some reason he hides from everyone.

But he becomes her S.O. and she tries to get under his skin every chance she gets, trying jokes and banter and just general pushiness until she coaxes a smile out of him. Still, she doesn't quite know what to do with him.

When she disappears in Hong Kong, she knows that Miles is waiting for her but there is somewhere she needs to go first.

“It has been awhile, Daisy.”

She whirls around in the alleyway they were meeting and rolls her eyes. “I told you, don't call me that. I'm Skye.”

Across from her, Cal – who she just cannot call father, no matter how many times he's told her to do so in the past two years – raises his hands in mock surrender and smiles. “Fine, _daughter._ How are things at the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division?”

Skye shrugs her shoulders. “Oh, you know. All good government work.”

“Anything that would interest us?”

“They're keeping it all locked up. I might need a new strategy if I want to find out things about mom.”

Cal nods thoughtfully. “How about we do what you did to get in the first time?”

“I can't get caught hacking twice.”

“But.” His eyes twinkle with delight and it is in these moments that he makes her feel slightly uncomfortable. “You can get caught sneaking out to meet your Rising Tide friends. That could be your cover story – that you need S.H.I.E.L.D. because you need to find your parents.”

“Parents?”

“Well.” Cal smiles and chuckles lowly. “They can hardly know that we are reunited.”

Skye nods; this idea is not half-bad. She's been trying to find her mother ever since a strange man who called himself her father told her that the answers she needs are at S.H.I.E.L.D. She's been waiting too long already.

“Alright, I'll let them catch me with Miles. Should I tell him?”

Cal scoffs. “That boy? What does he know about any of this?”

“Nothing.”

And really, Miles only knows that she wants to find her parents; Cal has always told her that she can't say anything about him to anyone and so she hasn't.

“Okay.”

That should be her cue to leave but she hesitates for a second and Cal sees it, like he always sees everything. “What is it?”

She bites her lip because she doesn't like asking him for things but this has been weighing on her for years now and she wants some kind of tangibility to his stories.

“What was my mother's name?”

He regards her with a curious look. “You have never asked me that.”

She nods because she hasn't; because this would make her whole quest real and she hasn't wanted to jinx it. But somehow, working at S.H.I.E.L.D., she's come to realize that she knows a lot less than she maybe should.

“Her name was Tian.” He gives her a soft look before continuing. “It means 'sky' in Chinese.”

She stares at him because that is just not possible. “What?”

“You've always been more connected to her than you've thought, Daisy. Yes, I know, don't call you that but that is your real name.”

“Thank you.”

Still, she doesn't leave because today seems to be the day for questions and Cal just raises an eyebrow as if to prompt her to continue speaking.

Skye's not sure if she should even approach the subject but she could do with an ally and Cal's the best she can get. “There is a specialist on the team. Grant Ward.”

“Yes?”

“There is something off about him. I don't think he trusts me. It's like he's always looking out for my moves and suspects me of the worst. And he is not wrong, so how should I deal with it?”

Cal regards her thoughtfully before clearing his throat once and fixing his gaze somewhere behind her. “Perhaps you should give him a chance to look at you for some other reason than suspicion.”

“Are you telling me to sleep with him?” Her voice rises out of its own volition because that idea is just a tad uncomfortable for her.

“No. But I'm telling you that you need to appease him or you will never find out what we're looking for.”

She walks away from the meeting with a feeling of unease; not because she has to let them catch her which is bad enough but because Cal's words still ring in her ears. Of course she has noticed what Grant Ward looks like; she is not blind, after all. And he might be boring and straight-faced but there are other redeeming qualities to him; she might almost like him if she didn't have her own mission. But she isn't sure she could deceive him just for that.

* * *

 

Getting caught with Miles goes just like she hoped it would – Coulson is angry but gives her the chance to give an explanation and her story about her parents works, she can see that in his eyes. And she knows that Coulson will probably get May on her side as well because they have the kind of connection where one will do what the other asks. Fitz and Jemma probably believe in her no matter what.

The one thing she didn't anticipate?

Just how much this would damage the relationship between her and her S.O.

Granted, she did trick the team but her story about her parents salvaged most of it with Coulson and they haven't invested too much to not come back from this breech of trust. She certainly does not think about what would happen if they found out she's been working with her father all this time.

But Ward barely glances at her and when their eyes do meet, he is distant and even more stoic than usual.

He is almost too infuriating.

* * *

 

The thing is, Ward also has his own orders and Skye's presence does nothing to help him with fulfilling those.

His mission is simple: stay undercover on Coulson's team, earn their trust, learn their tricks, their weaknesses and their soft spots. Don't stand out, don't be anything more or less than Grant Douglas Ward, best marks since Romanoff, T-1000, like Skye likes to call him.

And there is the problem as he suddenly finds himself playing boardgames with her, joking with her, trusting her. This is not the plan that John instructed him with and he feels sightly trapped between the choices he's being dealt.

But then, luckily, she turns out to be doing her own research for the Rising Tide – makes sense –, so it's easy to pull back, disengage and not show her any sign of respect that Grant Douglas Ward has already been giving her.

John would only smirk and tell him to do what it takes and get it out of his system. He doesn't mind the efficient nature of that but a deeper problem would remain. He doesn't just want to fuck her against the wall – though he absolutely does want that too – but he wants to tell her things. He wants to listen to her tell him things. He wants the trust that he is cultivating in his cover as Agent Ward.

And he really, really shouldn't.

* * *

 

When Skye finally manages to get back into Ward's good – or at least sufficient – graces, it feels better than she imagined, less like she needed it to maintain her cover and more like she just plain _needed_ it. They are still a bit hesitant around each other but she can sense other things from him now; not only distrust and suspicion but also genuine interest and growing respect, something akin to acknowledgment.

And then he goes and picks up that Berserker staff and oh, do things go to hell from there. He is aggressive and angry and crude, getting up in everyone's faces, barely keeping a lid on all of his emotions that are trying to get out, that are begging to be unleashed upon the world.

Skye feels like she is seeing Grant Ward for the first time, just as he really is and wonders just where he has been hiding all of this raw anger, this power, this energy to destroy and destruct. But she also sees vulnerability in him, sees broken pieces and crushed dreams and knows that the real Ward is something between those two, something more than whatever robotic face he is putting on and more than blind rage and she just wants to help him.

When she tells him to talk to her, she doesn't expect him to follow through, the look in his eyes is too guarded, too heavy and too lonesome.

But he knocks on her door that night and when she opens it, she doesn't think of all the things Cal told her to do and all the reasons why she decided against them. She doesn't think of her mother or Ward's access and security clearance.

Instead, the only thing she sees is the broken look still hovering on Ward's face, the way he swallows carefully and doesn't quite seem to know what to say.

Skye doesn't want his words, so she invites him in and doesn't waste a second before pushing him back against the door and kissing him for all that it's worth.

She is infinitely glad when Ward doesn't deny her this, when he responds with equal enthusiasm and takes her to bed without hesitation.

Later, he holds her very close to himself and doesn't even try to leave. She ponders if what she's done is duplicitous, if she has tricked him into sleeping with her just so he would stop suspecting her. But she thinks back to the look in his eyes when he whispered her name and the warmth it sent spreading over her which all lead to an unpredictable outcome: she likes him.

“Skye? What are you really doing at S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

His question is soft and gentle but she still tenses slightly; has he figured it all out? “What do you mean?”

He sighs and rolls over to his back, forcing her to do the same and peer at him from the corner of her eye. “I know that Coulson didn't just let you come back because you asked him to. You need S.H.I.E.L.D. for something and he's giving you just that. What is it?”

She could lie. She could tell him that Coulson forgave her because that's who he is. She could tell him that she worked for the Rising Tide and then decided to switch sides when she saw what they were actually doing.

Instead, what she tells him is much worse.

“I want to find my parents.”

“Tell me.”

And she does, sort of. She tells him the same story she told Coulson, that she knows there is a connection between S.H.I.E.L.D. and her parents and she was using her connections to find it. It is not exactly a lie and he is terribly quiet for a long time when she finishes.

“Ward?”

“That is...that is a good thing you're doing.”

She wants to believe that it really is.

* * *

 

It's not a relationship that develops from that one night, more a mutual understanding, a way to find each other at night, to just be there, _breathing_. Skye doesn't let it evolve into something more because she doesn't want to take advantage of him and Ward seems reluctant to ask for more than she gives, so they maintain a balance.

That balance goes into an absolute clusterfuck when too many things happen at once: Hydra emerges from the shadows, John Garrett is the Clairvoyant, Ward is Hydra and everything is chaos.

She is blindsided because this was not supposed to happen. She was the only one with a secret agenda, not a whole government agency full of people committed to the cause while just biding their time until they desired to overthrow everything and take control.

She could almost laugh at the fact that while she was trying to keep her father a secret from everyone, Ward was keeping a whole other life, a whole other purpose from them all. He betrayed the agency that trusted in him, he betrayed the team, and he betrayed her.

She is absolutely not mad that he got to shed his secrets first.

When he disappears after they find the bodies of Hand and Garrett, she doesn't wonder where he is or what he is doing. Instead, she contacts Cal for the first time in months who tells her to stay put and maintain cover because something big is going to happen.

“Oh, darling, there is something coming that I've been waiting for a long time. You just have to sit tight and it will come to you.”

“Is this about mom?”

He is quiet for a few beats and when he answers, his voice carefully measured. “Yes, of course. Just wait a little longer.”

* * *

 

A little longer turns into months. She stays with the team because she must and helps them rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D., helps them fight Hydra who seem to be organizing a whole fantastic thing of their own and casually looks for Ward but never finds anything until he literally descends down the stairs of the Bus and smirks at her.

“Hello, Skye.”

“Don't talk to her.”

May stands beside her, gun in her hand trained at Ward, just like Lance and Trip do but he only lets his eyes linger on her and she gets the feeling he is not as clueless about her anymore.

“The deal is simple – Skye comes with me or we shoot the Bus down.”

She gapes at him and wonders what the game plan is, what Hydra could want with them and doesn't even quite understand how he is still with them.

“No deal.”

“Really? You would rather everyone die than let Skye have a chance at her destiny, something she's been waiting for a long time?”

The words strike a chord within her but it is impossible. She gives him a quizzical look and he almost nods in response and that is all that she needs, really. Her father has sent for her.

“Okay.”

“Skye, you don't have to do this.” May's voice is filled with notes of worry and she turns to her and smiles tentatively.

“It's okay. I'll come back.”

She doesn't say anything for the duration of their flight – probably to San Juan – because there are men everywhere around them and if Ward is working with Cal, somehow, then Hydra probably has no knowledge of it.

Once they reach their destination, he guides her through the house, gently holding her elbow and leans closer to whisper in her ear. “You never said that you had already found your father, Skye.”

She turns her head sharply to look him in the eyes. “Funny, you never said anything about being Hydra either.”

He smirks – why does he smirk when she is so angry with him? “Touché.”

A door opens in front of her and Cal's face looks back at her. “Oh, Daisy. It is so good to see you again.”

“Don't call me that.”

“That is your name. And it is about time you start using it.”

His voice is more metallic than usual and the look in his eyes is slightly manic as he leans closer and grabs her by the shoulders. “Do you know what will happen today? The world will change into something much more beautiful, much more worthwhile. And you will be right in the middle of it.”

If she thought she got a bad feeling from the sound of his voice, his words have an even more chilling effect. “What are you talking about? Is this about my mother?”

At this, Cal lets go of her shoulders, almost pushing her away – and causing her to bump into Ward's chest who's standing silent sentry behind her – and walks away from her. “Your mother? You want to know about your mother, Daisy? I'll tell you what happened! She was special, so _special_ , so he cut her up into little pieces, took whatever he needed and then just left her in the woods to die. He just left her there! Like an animal!”

He yells all of that while pacing the room, not caring who hears or doesn't hear and she watches the man she barely knows lose whatever control he had held over his emotions over the years. His words cut deep into her soul; not just because she has to imagine her mother dying but also because she realizes that he's been lying to her this whole time, that there never was anything to find out about her mother's death if he already knew all of this.

“Why am I here?”

“That is an excellent question.”

A strange voice behind her startles her and she turns around while Ward takes a few steps back but doesn't leave her side as a silver-haired man walks into the room.

“Hello, Skye.”

The man smiles and there is something inherently unpleasant about it. He gestures to Ward. “You see, when Agent Ward here asked to bring you, I was curious, I must admit. He said you would be great leverage against S.H.I.E.L.D., except we don't particularly need leverage. So, naturally, I asked myself who else would want you here right now?”

He turns his attention to Cal now who's practically vibrating with rage, the fire in his eyes only intensifying and Skye realizes who the man is before his words confirm it.

“I didn't recognize you at first, you know. After all, it has been years since I met you and the lovely Tian in Hunan Province. And then I look at the lovely Agent Skye and I would recognize those eyes from anywhere.”

“If she wasn't here, I would rip your throat out with my bare hands, Whitehall.”

The man – Whitehall – laughs and feigns surprise. “Oh, well, then I'm really glad she is here. After all, she does have a task to fulfill.”

One of his men steps forward with a small case and when he opens it, a golden obelisk shines back at her, radiating a heat so strong that she takes a small step forward without even realizing it.

“Oh, do pick it up, please. Your mother could do _excellent_ things with it; I want to see what you would do.”

Her eyes are focused intently on the obelisk and she feels its power beckoning her, something truly magnificent and dark and _hungry_ calling out her name.

“Skye. It's dangerous.” Ward's voice floats in as if from a distance but she barely listens, transfixed by the glorious power she is being offered.

She takes it in her hand and it rips through her skin like agony, pulsing hot and heavy and crushing. She gasps at the weight of it, feeling a fire burning in her heart and her mind splitting until suddenly the energy whooshes out of her and her hands are free. When she has the strength to raise her head again, Ward is looking at her, holding the obelisk in his hand, gritting his jaw but not making any sound at the pain she knows that he is feeling.

“Fascinating. I guess I do realize why he brought you here now.” Whitehall is looking at Ward with something almost like interest in his eyes. “Too bad he will have to die for it.”

Ward chokes on his breath then, an agonizing noise which spurs her into action as she touches the obelisk to take it away from him – because she can – but instead, it latches onto them both and the energy equalizes, balances out and merges into them.

She opens her eyes and she feels power like she has never felt before, crackling at her fingertips, buzzing under her skin and can sense the ground beneath her feet reacting to every thoughtshe has. Ward is still standing and she recognizes something in his eyes from the days of the Berserker but it is more controlled, more efficient and more present. They smile at each other and everything snaps back into focus.

“That was rather remarkable.”

She turns her attention to Whitehall who is so utterly oblivious to everything that she almost feels sorry for him and in the next moment wonders how to best kill him.

“Let me.” Ward almost pleads her, the hunger in his eyes captivating and she nods. She stays utterly still as she watches him slay the guards placed around them faster than any of them can even think about reaching for their weapon and finally they stand in the room with just Whitehall and Cal.

She looks at the man who just five seconds ago was completely in charge. “Is this what you were expecting?”

He looks at her with wide eyes and absolute terror on his face. “You are not like your mother at all.”

She chuckles and brings her hand down over his heart. “No. I am something much worse.”

Her hand vibrates at her command and she can feel the vibrations travel deep into Whitehall's chest, making his heart beat faster and faster, heightening the agony until he screams. “And this is for what you did to her.” She stops abruptly and revels in the pain on his face before collapsing to the floor, no less and no more than he absolutely deserves.

“Daisy, honey, what are you doing?”

Skye turns her attention to Cal. “Isn't this my destiny, _daddy dearest_? Be the monster you can tame and keep for yourself? Is this what you wanted?”

“I didn't know, Daisy. Your mother didn't do this. She made everything better when she touched it.”

Ward comes to a stand next to her, silent in his approach but unwavering in his loyalty. “I guess I'm not as _good_ as she was then. So sorry to disappoint you.”

She leaves with Ward by her side and stops only once to leave Cal with one thing. “And my name is Skye.”

Outside, the air smells of gardenias and happiness but Skye doesn't pay attention to any of that. Instead, she marvels at the power still buzzing in her veins and the ground rumbles in compliance, making her smile at the forces she now yields. Ward watches her ardently but she can see the rage evident in his eyes and it pleases her.

“What do we do now?”

“Well, first of all.”

She pulls him down for a kiss and it feels better than the first time, better than the last time, better than any time because there is so much power between them that it makes her dizzy. His hunger is making her hungry and there is only one solution for that.

When they pull apart, she spies some of Whitehall's men rushing out of the house in an effort to detain them and she sighs softly.

“What is it?”

She pouts and Ward turns his gaze towards the house. “I feel like they will kill the mood.”

He smirks; the glint in his eyes is dangerous and alluring. “Not if I kill them first.”

She chuckles at his terrible pun. “Race you to it then.”

The earth begins to groan and shake underneath the house and those who haven't made it outside, freeze on the spot, calculating their next moves and making rapid decisions.

She presses down with her heel and the vibrations shake the foundation of the house, leaving it in a heap of rubble in a matter of minutes. She doesn't even consider whether Cal made it out or not.

When she turns around, Ward is standing behind her, looking smug and gesturing to the dozen guys he managed to kill. “Took you long enough. I like my hands-on approach better.”

Skye has a feeling that they will have a marvelous time.

 


End file.
